Blumenthal Holds Roundtable Discussion On Sex Assaults

West Hartford, Conn. (CBS Connecticut) _ At the University of St. Joseph Wednesday, a roundtable discussion was held by Connecticut U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal, as well as White House Task Force members, to discuss the ongoing problem of sexual assaults among women on college campuses.

There was impassioned discussion as Senator Blumenthal listened intently, as did Bea Hanson, a member of a White House Task Force currently tackling this issue.

St. Joseph senior Rebecca Cavallo, who worked for the Torrington-based Susan B. Anthony Project, which deals with sexual assaults, said she ran a training involving college students and sexual assault scenarios and was surprised by some of the results.

“Girls were shocked to learn that involving alcohol and intoxication revoked their right for consent and that that was considered sexual assault,” she said.

One in four college women will be the victim of a sex assault during her academic career and Cavallo said many times, they blame themselves.

“They were to blame, they were the one that was drinking, when not really, it was still not their fault,” explained Cavallo.

This comes as UConn faces a federal Title IX lawsuit for how it has dealt with sexual assaults on campus.